Clothes-line adjuster.



1); w. RANTINE. CLOTHES LINE ADJUSTER. APPLICATION FILED-DEG. 6, 1910.

Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

WITNESSES:

THE mmms F'EfERS 0a., WASHINGTON, n. c.

-* locked position.

TIT

rue,

DANIEL W. RANTINE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

' CLOTHES-LINE ADJUSTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, mil.

Application filed December 6, 1910. Serial No. 595,935.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL WV. RANTINE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Line Adjusters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to endless clothesline holders and particularly to that class which is adapted to be used from a window or balcony, above and beyond reach from the ground surface. In devices of this character it is often the case that both of the pulleys supporting the line at the ends of its travel cannot be secured at the same height or level. When such conditions exist the weight of the clothes fastened to a free running line has a tendency to cause the line to more toward the lower pulley making it difiicult to place additional clothes on the line. Furthermore such undesirable movement of the line is likely to bring the first clothes hung on the said line into contact with the lower pulley, thereby tearing or otherwise injuring the clothes.

To provide means for avoiding such trouble and to maintain adequate and complete control of the line has been one object of my invention.

Other objects are to provide an effective device for adjusting the tension of clothes lines, so simple that it may be readily operated by an inexperienced person, not liable to injury by exposure to the weather and of moderate cost.

These objects are attained by certain novel constructions and improvements hereinafter fully described and shown in the accompany ing drawings, in which Figure 1, is a side elevation of the complete holder, showing the pulley carrier in locked position in full lines and in free position by broken lines. Fig. 2, is a partial plan view of the bar and pulley carrier in Fig. 3, is a similar View of the same in free position and with reference to the end of the bar. Fig. 4, is a sectional view of the rack-bar, taken on line a-a of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5, is a similar View of the same, taken on line b--?) of Fig. 1.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The invention comprises a bar 1, having a rib section 2, running its entire length and terminating at its outer end in a T shaped member 3, so formed for a purpose further indicated. The inner end of the bar is downwardly turned forming a flange t, and provided with an annular hub 5, terminating in a thinned member 6, having an eye 7 adapted to receive the hook 8, of the hanger, or anchor bolt 9, which may be screw-threaded or otherwise arranged to be secured to any suitable support, as a window casement or the like. Surrounding the bolt 9, is a conical helical spring 10, fitting the boltshank snugly at its smaller diameter and also tightly fitted to appropriately formed grooves on the annular hub 5, at its larger diameter. This arrangement obviously operates to yieldingly maintain the bar 1, parallel to the bolt 9, so that the bar may be readily flexed in any direction. On the upper surface of the bar 1, is a series of teeth of the same uniform thickness as the web of the bar at their rear portion but thickened on each side at the front as at 12. See F igsf 2, 3 and The clothes-line 13, runs over the pulley 14, mounted to revolve freely on a stud 15, set in the pulley carrier 16, which is provided with upwardly projecting ears 17, arranged to act as guides on either side of the head 2, of the rack-bar, preventing lateral displacement of the pulley carrier; while other ears l8, oppositely disposed and downwardly extending, act as guides to the clothesline. I j The main portion of the pulley carrier 16, is provided with connected openings 19 and 20, partially separated by the oppositely disposed lugs or detents 21. The larger opening 19, is adapted to slide freely over the bar 1, being mounted thereon by turning it at a right angle to the bar and passing the opening over the T-hook 3, after which it may be adjusted along the teeth, in such manner that the detents 21, either rest on the thickened portion 12, of the teethas in the free positionindicated by the broken lines in Fig. 1, or the bar until the upper portion of the looped opening 20, contacts with the thickened portion of the teeth as in the locked positionas shown by the solid lines in Fig. 1.

It will be understood that when in the free position the lower end of the larger loop contacts with the bead of the bar, causing the carrier to assume such a position with reference to the bar that the pulley may rotate and the line run freely on it. When in the locked position the clothes-line pass downwardly on the sides of it 13, is, by its own tension tightly locked V against the bead of the bar and cannot be operated] A handle22, for convenience of I operation is also attached to the pulley carrier and so arranged that one hand of the operator can lock or unlock or otherwise manipulate the pulley carrier thereby tightsired portion within reach of the operator j with entire freedom when the pulley carrier is in its free position; and that the line cannot-be operated when the carrierisin the locked position, andthat the shift from one position to-the other is readily effected. It

- is also evident that when any tension is on ban-means for maintaining said bar nor-" mally but resiliently perpendicular to the the clothes-line that the bar, and hence the pulley, its carrier and the line, will be in alinement with the support at the other end of the clothes-line, therefore there is no tendency for the line'to run off the pulleys.

Having thnsdescribed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letv ters Patent, is:

1. A clothes-line adjuster comprising a plane of its support, teeth on said bar, said teeth being thickened at their front portion, a T-shaped hook formed at theouter end of said bar, a pulley carrier, a pulley pivoted therein, said carrier being slidably mounted on said bar having an open loop, detents disposed therein adapted in one position to engage with the thickened portion of the teeth permitting the pulleycarrier to swing so that the lower end of the open loop contacts with the lower portion of said bar thereby permitting said pulley to freely revolve said detents being adapted in another position to pass downward alongside said bar until the upper portion of said open loop engages with the thickened portion of said teeth permitting the pulley carrier to swing so that the pulley contacts with the lower portion of the bar locking the pulley against rotation; stops on said carrier adapted to embrace said bar thereby preventing lateral movement of the carrier on the bar.

2. A clothes-line adjuster comprising a bar having a thickened bottom flange, a. hooked anchor bolt for supporting same, a

yielding connection between said bar and bolt consisting of a conically wound helical spring, a rearwardly turned outer end on said bar having a T-shaped extremity, teeth onthe upper surface of said bar, said teeth having a thickened front section, a pulley carrier slidably mounted on said bar, a pulley pivoted therein, detents combined with said carrier and so arranged that the pulley may be prevented from revolving when the detents are in one position with reference to said thickened portions and free to revolve when they are in another position with reference .to said thickened portions; and a handle 'on the pulley carrier for manipulation and adjustment of the carrier along said bar.

Injtestimony whereof, I have hereunto signed by name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

V DANIEL W. RANTINE. Witnesses:

' WM. HJMAR UAND,

H. L. LATTO.

-- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five, cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

